The final six games of Vin Scully’s Dodger broadcasting career will be simulcast on KTLA-Channel 5. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/Pasadena Star-News)

Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully smiles as he was honored by the Guinness World Records for the longest career as a sports broadcaster for a single team on his bobble head night prior to a Major League Baseball game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 in Los Angeles.
(Photo by Keith Birmingham/ Pasadena Star-News)

KTLA Channel 5 will simulcast six Dodgers games from the Spectrum Network’s SportsNet LA, including the final three road games that are scheduled to be the last regular-season contests called by Vin Scully as he concludes his 67th season as the team’s broadcaster.

The simulcasts arranged between KTLA’s Tribune Co. and Spectrum (the new name for the Time Warner Cable and Charter merged companies) will start with the final weekend of home games against Colorado (Sept. 23-25) and includes Friday’s Vin Scully Appreciation Night. KTLA also will air that pregame ceremony to honor Scully starting at 7 p.m. The Sept. 30-Oct. 2 games in San Francisco end the regular season.

Should the Dodgers make the playoffs, the team expects to arrange for Scully to call the games on KLAC-AM (570) radio while they will be televised by a national carrier (ESPN, Fox or TBS).

“In Los Angeles, there’s no greater sports franchise than the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in the history of baseball, there’s been no greater voice than the incomparable Vin Scully,” KTLA President and General Manager Don Corsini said in a statement. “We thank Charter and the entire Los Angeles Dodgers organization for the unique opportunity to honor the Dean of Sports Broadcasters and share these iconic Dodgers games and moments with our entire KTLA5 Southern California community.”

Dodgers Executive Vice President Lon Rosen said the deal came quickly and “we’re obviously pleased the companies were able to make this arrangement so fans can see Vin Scully’s last few games. We also know that Charter is working on bigger plans for distribution.”

The Dodgers’ departure from cable partner Fox Sports West to accept a controversial 25-year, $8.3 billion deal with Time Warner Cable in 2013 resulted in thousands of Southern California viewers unable to access the team-owned SportsNet LA since its launch in February 2014.

Only those subscribers of Time Warner Cable and Charter Cable, which merged earlier this year to form Spectrum, have been able to see SportsNet LA, with competitors such as AT&T/DirecTV and Frontier (formerly Verizon) balking at the price reported to be in the $5-per-month range for customers.

The Dodgers continue to be baffled by the AT&T/DirecTV refusal to reopen negotiations with Spectrum, but industry sources say until AT&T/DirecTV has enough customers drop their service as a direct result of those wanting the Dodgers’ channel, it financially does not make sense for them to add it.

Because of limited distribution, the Dodgers agreed to simulcast the last six games of the 2014 season on KDOC Channel 56, an independent station in Orange County. The team did not allow for any over-the-air games in 2015 in Southern California.

Outside of SportsNet LA, Dodgers fans could see a regular-season game only if it was aired by ESPN, Fox Sports or, last weekend, cleared in the market by TBS.

During the Dodgers’ previous FSW/Prime Ticket relationship, a package of games was sold off to over-the-air partners like KCAL Channel 9 (2005-2013), KCOP Channel 13 (2002-2005) and KTLA (1997-2005). The Dodgers started on then-Fox Sports 2 in 1997.

Of the major markets that carry MLB local broadcasts, only Los Angeles/Orange County does not have a local, over-the-air package of games for the Dodgers or the Angels (who are on Fox Sports West).

With this new simulcast agreement, sources say KTLA is trying to align itself as a Dodgers’ over-the-air broadcast partner with Spectrum going forward to perhaps carry as many as 20-25 games a season, either exclusively or as a simulcast.

Tom Hoffarth is a freelancer. He had been with the Daily News/Southern California News Group since 1992 as a general assignment sports reporter, columnist and specialist in the sports media. He has been honored by the Associated Press for sports columnists and honored by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association for his career work. His favorite sportscaster of all time: Vin Scully, for professional and personal reasons. He considers watching Zenyatta win the Breeders' Cup 2009 Classic to be the most memorable sporting event he has covered in his career. Go figure that.